President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has hosted a special reception at the Presidential Complex on occasion of “February 9 Quit Smoking Day" for over 250 citizens who quit smoking on Tuesday.
In his speech, Erdoğan said that no one could talk about freedom to smoke on “Quit Smoking Day."
"As the top-level representative of the state, I am responsible for controlling whether a provision of the constitution is being implemented or not. And this is also my personal principle. No one has the freedom to smoke as they don't have the freedom to commit suicide," said Erdoğan.
"We should protect the rights of people who don't smoke. I am calling each of our citizens to contribute to our slogan 'Life is beautiful without cigarettes.' Let's consider every day Quit Smoking Day," he added.
Twenty people whom President Erdoğan persuaded to quit smoking during his domestic visits attended President Erdoğan's reception.
Ferdi Tayfur, a Turkish singer who had been smoking since he was 7 and quit in recent years, also attended the reception.
Erdoğan known for sensitivity against smoking
President Erdoğan is known for his sensitivity against all kinds of hazardous addictions, particularly smoking. The President talked many people from his inner circle, including ministers, members of parliament and bureaucrats, into quitting smoking.
Asking people to promise him that they would quit smoking during his domestic visits, President Erdoğan was photographed many times taking these people's cigarette boxes and writing their names, the date and their phone numbers on the boxes. A collection of those cigarette boxes and photographs also will be displayed at the reception.
In 2010, during his term as Prime Minister, President Erdoğan was given the “WHO Director-General Special Recognition Award" for combating smoking, his determination to enforce laws banning smoking in all public places and for making Turkey one of the leading countries in the world in efforts for global tobacco control.
